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☆ Pentagon and USAID launch oversight reviews of US pier and humanitarian aid for Gaza amid repeated challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Defense Department IG will look specifically at the “effectiveness of DoD’s efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through the maritime corridor,” a press release on Thursday, announcing the effort, said. The pier — called the Joint Logistics Over The Shore, or JLOTS — was first established on the Gaza coast in May. WFP has had their distribution of aid from the pier paused for more than two weeks as they assess the security situation on the ground. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has only grown more dire as the war between Israel and Hamas continues. “Given this, the DoD OIG and USAID OIG are working together to address the challenges associated with this mission.

Persons: —, “, Robert P, Storch, Paul K, Martin Organizations: CNN, Pentagon, USAID, General, The Defense, The, WFP, Integrated, DoD, DoD OIG, USAID OIG Locations: Gaza, Israel, “

☆ The Vanishing Islands That Failed to Vanish
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Raymond Zhong | Jason Gulley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +26 min

The Vanishing Islands That Failed to Vanish Low-lying tropical island nations were expected to be early victims of rising seas. They found that over the past few decades, the islands’ edges had wobbled this way and that, eroding here, building there. No, to understand what really beguiles them about these islands, you need to take a dive into the surrounding sea. Coral reefs Indian Ocean Islands HUVADHOO ATOLL 5 miles Dhigulaabadhoo Coral reefs Indian Ocean Islands HUVADHOO ATOLL 5 miles Dhigulaabadhoo Islands HUVADHOO ATOLL Islands HUVADHOO ATOLL HUVADHOO ATOLL HUVADHOO ATOLL HUVADHOO ATOLL HUVADHOO ATOLL HUVADHOO ATOLL HUVADHOO ATOLL HUVADHOO ATOLL Kandahalagalaa Dhigulaabadhoo HUVADHOO ATOLL Kandahalagalaa Dhigulaabadhoo A map of the Huvadhoo Atoll, a gourd-shaped ring of 241 islands in the southern Maldives. Huvadhoo Atoll is a gourd-shaped ring of 241 islands in the southern Maldives.

Persons: ” Charles Darwin, Darwin, bode, Arthur Webb, Paul Kench, “ I’m, Kench, Webb, Kench’s, Mohamed Aslam, Paul S, Aitana Gea Neuhaus, Gea Neuhaus, ” Ms, “, ” Paul Kench, Gerd Masselink, Peter Ganderton, Curt Storlazzi, Tim Scott, Dr, Scott, ”, it’s, “ They’ve, munch, Storlazzi, Thoriq Ibrahim, Malé, Hariyya Ibrahim, Hariyya, Adam Shakir, Adam, Farhath Ibrahim, Mohamed Muizzu, Hussain Rasheed, Rakeedhoo, Ashiya, Ashiya’s Organizations: Graphics, University of Plymouth, National University of Singapore, Nature Communications, Airbus, Google, United States Geological Survey Locations: Maldives, INDIA, MALDIVES, Polynesia, Micronesia, Indian, Malé, Himandhoo, Huvadhoo, ”, England, Dhigulaabadhoo, Wade, Plymouth, grinned, Hulhumalé, New City, Sand, City, Towers City, Himandhoo’s, Rakeedhoo

☆ Former Colonies Want France Out. This African Nation Says, Bienvenue!
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | Guillem Sartorio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After decades of wielding political, military and economic power across Africa, France is scaling back its presence on the continent as it faces significant resentment in many of its former colonies. Yet one nation has emerged as an exception: Rwanda. In return, French companies are scaling up their investments in Rwanda. The détente, which is being championed by Rwanda’s longtime leader, Paul Kagame, has garnered France a much-needed security partner in Africa and secured Rwanda millions of dollars in development and trade funds. “We have a partner in Kagame,” Hervé Berville, a French minister of state, said in an interview in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

Persons: Rwanda’s, Paul Kagame, Emmanuel Macron, Kagame, ” Hervé Organizations: France Locations: Africa, France, Rwanda, Paris, French, Rwandan, Kigali

☆ The B in 'Bridgerton' actually stands for bisexual
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dearest readers, rejoice: Benedict Bridgerton is finally bisexual. Lucas Aurelio and Luke Thompson as Paul Suarez and Benedict Bridgerton in season three of "Bridgerton." Liam Daniel/Netflix'Bridgerton' has been hinting at Benedict's queerness for a whileBefore season three, Benedict Bridgerton had yet to kiss another man. Luke Thompson and Hannah New as Benedict Bridgerton and Lady Tilley Arnold in season three of "Bridgerton." Liam Daniel/NetflixUltimately, Benedict isn't ready to settle down when Lady Tilley confesses that she's developed romantic feelings for him.

Persons: —, Benedict Bridgerton, Charlotte's footman, Benedict isn't, Francesca, we've, Jess Brownell, Lucas Aurelio, Luke Thompson, Paul Suarez, Liam Daniel, Henry Granville, Benedict, Granville, Lord, Benedict hasn't, he's, Lady Tilley Arnold, Paul, Tilley, Eloise, Colin, Lady Tilley's, We'll, Hannah New, Lady Tilley, she's, Sophie Organizations: Service, Business, Los Angeles Times, Netflix Locations: Granville, Lord Wetherby

The Fed meets Tuesday and Wednesday to talk about interest rates, which many voters are really frustrated about. People are saying high rates make it hard to buy a home or car or deal with debts. We eventually need to get into the underlying economics — why are interest rates high, and will they stay there? But first, on how interest rates influence people’s views, we need to deal with an odd aspect of the situation. High interest rates are, indeed, a burden on some Americans, especially first-time home buyers.

Persons: Peter Coy, Paul, we’ve, They’re, they’re, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Paul Krugman, Peter Organizations: Fed, University of Michigan, Biden

☆ Opinion | Freedom’s Just Another Word for Not Paying Taxes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This action may have shocked some old-line conservatives who still thought of Heritage as a serious institution, but Heritage is, after all, just a think tank. It’s not as if upside-down flags were being flown by people we expect to defend our constitutional order, like Supreme Court justices. Why would billionaires support Trump? Stock prices — which Trump predicted would crash if he lost in 2020 — have soared. High interest rates, which are a burden on many Americans, are if anything a net positive for wealthy people with money to invest.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, MAGA, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Biden, Trump Organizations: Heritage Foundation, Trump, Heritage Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Opinion | Why You Shouldn’t Obsess About the National Debt
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States government is more than $34 trillion in debt. Did you know that our government owes $34 trillion? That’s $34 trillion! So I thought it might be useful to talk about how I see the issue of public debt and why it doesn’t loom larger in my concerns. isn’t unprecedented, even in America: It’s roughly the same as it was at the end of World War II.

Persons: I’m, hypocrites Organizations: United Locations: United States, America, Japan

☆ The withdrawal risk of quitting antidepressants
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Roughly 15% of participants who discontinued antidepressants experienced withdrawal symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, nausea, insomnia and irritability, according to the review published Wednesday in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry. The review is the first publication of a larger project on antidepressant withdrawal symptoms, the authors said. The authors also discovered the medications most often linked with withdrawal symptoms were desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine, imipramine and escitalopram. The rate of withdrawal symptoms in pharma-funded studies was about the same as trials not funded by pharmaceutical companies. The study didn’t provide information on the duration of withdrawal symptoms, but other research suggests they can last for up to two weeks in most cases, Keedwell said.

Persons: ”, Jonathan Henssler, ” Henssler, Sameer Jauhar, Jauhar wasn’t, ” Jauhar, Christiaan Vinkers, weren’t, Tony Kendrick, “, ” Kendrick, Henssler, Jauhar, Oliver Howes, Howes wasn’t, Paul Keedwell, wasn’t, Keedwell, ” Keedwell Organizations: Lifeline, CNN, neurosciences, Charité — University Medicine, King’s College London, Pharmaceutical, pharma, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Southampton, Cleveland Clinic, Royal College of Psychiatrists Locations: United Kingdom, Berlin, England

☆ Opinion | Should Biden Downplay His Own Success?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The performance of America’s economy over the past two years has been remarkable, especially given the dire predictions of many observers. Remember the economists who forecast a recession in 2023? Remember all those warnings that getting inflation down would require years of high unemployment? Stocks are way up since President Biden took office. Yet there’s still a lingering conventional wisdom that says Biden shouldn’t trumpet his economic record.

Persons: Biden, there’s, Jimmy Carter’s Organizations: Washington

☆ Opinion | What if This Is Our Last Real Election?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Some of the Americans protesting the war in Gaza have turned on President Biden. The answer I’ve been hearing is that the goal is to send a message: If Gaza costs Biden the election, Democrats will understand that in the next election they will need to rethink their seemingly reflexive support for Israel’s government and commit as a party to the protection of Palestinian rights. There are many questions one could ask about this argument, but from a certain perspective, the most important one for American voters may well be: What next election? There’s a very real possibility that if Trump wins in November it’ll be the last real national election America holds for a very long time. And while there’s room for disagreement here, if you consider that statement to be outrageous hyperbole, you haven’t been paying attention.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Netanyahu, it’ll, haven’t Organizations: Trump, America Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ Opinion | The Stench of Climate Change Denial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This may sound a bit weird, but when I think about my adolescent years, I sometimes associate them with the faint smell of sewage. You see, when I was in high school, my family lived on the South Shore of Long Island, where few homes had sewer connections. Most had septic tanks, and there always seemed to be an overflowing tank somewhere upwind. Climate change. Along the Gulf and South Atlantic coasts, The Washington Post reported last week, “sea levels have risen at least six inches since 2010.” This may not sound like much, but it leads to rising groundwater and elevated risks of overflowing tanks.

Organizations: The Washington Post Locations: Shore, Long, Nassau County, Atlantic, The

☆ How a global seafood giant broke Red Lobster
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Former Red Lobster employees say that while the pandemic, inflation and rent costs impacted Red Lobster, Thai Union’s ineptitude was the pivotal factor in Red Lobster’s decline. Kenny criticized Red Lobster employees at meetings and made derogatory comments about them, according to former Red Lobster leaders who worked closely with Kenny. Red Lobster’s annual customer count has dropped by 30% since 2019, Red Lobster said in its bankruptcy filing. Red Lobster employees say they were pressured by Thai Union representatives to buy more seafood from Thai Union. Thai Union representatives also began sitting in on meetings between Red Lobster and seafood suppliers, said one of the former Red Lobster employees who witnessed these conversations.

Persons: “, Ludovic Garnier, Jorge Silva, Red Lobster’s, ”, Les Foreman, Red, Thiraphong Chansiri, Angel, Feng shui, Chansiri, Amanda Mustard, Paul Kenny, Kenny, ’, Kenny’s, Bill Darden, General Mills, Darden, Kelli Valade, Valade, Trin, Tapanya, Kevin Lamarque, Barry Fulghum, Lobster, Leah Millis Organizations: New, New York CNN, Thai Union Group, Red, Lobster, Thai Union, CNN, Red Lobster, John West Foods, longtime, Reuters, Thai, West Coast, Lobster’s, Bloomberg, Getty, Minor, Thai Union —, Union, Darden, Gate, Golden, Capital, Facebook, Thai Union . Thai Union, ” Thai Union Locations: New York, Thai, Thailand, Thai Union, United States, Orlando, Australian, Dallas, America, United, Texas, Spring , Maryland

☆ Opinion | America Is Still Having a ‘Vibecession’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If Donald Trump wins the election, the main reason will surely be that a majority of voters believe that America’s economy is in bad shape. By normal measures, however, the U.S. economy isn’t in bad shape. So much, you may say, for official statistics: If people feel that they’re doing badly, well, when it comes to the economy, the customer is always right. But here’s the kicker: When asked, most Americans don’t say that they’re doing badly. And respondents are typically much more positive about the economy in their own state than they are about the nation’s as a whole.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump Locations: U.S

☆ How Red Lobster choked on its own Endless Shrimp deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

First, Red Lobster got screwed by private equity. Back in 2014, the Darden restaurant group spun off Red Lobster to a private equity firm. Thai Union, under Kenny’s direction, elbowed out other shrimp suppliers, “leaving Thai Union with an exclusive deal that led to higher costs to Red Lobster,” according to the filing. And if you’re the exclusive provider of shrimp to America’s biggest seafood chain, what’d be better than making that limited-time all-you-can-eat shrimp deal a permanent menu item? The all-you-can-eat shrimp deal alone didn’t doom Red Lobster, but boy did it do some damage at a time when the chain was already buckling.

Persons: Nathaniel Meyersohn, ”, Management wasn’t, Jonathan Tibus, Tibus, Paul Kenny, Kenny Organizations: New, New York CNN, Darden, Management, Thai Union, CNN Locations: New York, foundering, Bangkok, Thai

☆ Opinion | Return of the Inflation Truthers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Inflation swaps, which allow Wall Street in effect to make bets on future inflation, are implicitly projecting just 2.1 percent inflation over the next year. And it’s really hard to deny that inflation is way down from its peak. Yet many Americans don’t believe that inflation has fallen, and there are a number of commentators with large audiences insisting that there has been no improvement. Instead, they became “inflation truthers,” insisting that the benign numbers were fake. Now the inflation truthers are back.

Persons: don’t, ”

A sign is posted on the exterior of a Red Lobster restaurant on April 17, 2024 in Rohnert Park, California. Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, continuing the process to shrink its footprint and find a buyer, the company said in a statement. CNBC reported last month Red Lobster was seeking a buyer, weighed down by significant debt and long-term leases. At the time, it was tough to predict that Red Lobster would see sales drop as much as they have. "This restructuring is the best path forward for Red Lobster," Tibus said in a statement late Sunday.

Persons: — Jonathan Tibus, Alvarez, Marsal, Tibus, Red, we've, General Mills, Darden, Kim Lopdrup, Paul Kenny's, Kenny Organizations: CNBC, Golden, Darden, Food, General, Thai Union Group, Thai Union, Red Lobster, Seafood Alliance, Thai Locations: Rohnert Park , California, U.S, Canada, Orlando , Florida, Olive, Thai

☆ What the Dow Jones Hitting 40,000 Points Tells Us - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last week, for the first time in history, the Dow Jones industrial average closed above 40,000. Unlike many right-wing commentators, I don’t consider the stock market the best indicator of the economy’s health, or even a good indicator. The background here is the gap between what we know about the actual state of our economy and the way Trump and his allies describe it. Unemployment has now been below 4 percent for 27 months, a record last achieved in the late 1960s, ending in February 1970. U.S. economic growth over the past four years has been much faster than in comparable major wealthy nations.

Persons: hyperpartisanship, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: Dow

☆ Opinion | Beware the Pettiness of the Powerful
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Donald Trump isn’t exactly Don Quixote, but he does have a thing against windmills. Indeed, Trump’s animus toward wind power is one of the strangest obsessions of a man with many unusual preoccupations (toilets! Over the years, he has asserted, falsely, that wind turbines can cause cancer, that they can cause power outages and that wind energy “kills all the birds” (cats and windows do far more harm). Now he says that if he wins in November, on “Day 1” he’ll issue an executive order putting the brakes on offshore wind farm construction. Over the past 15 or so years we’ve seen revolutionary progress in the technology of renewable energy; the idea of an economy reliant on solar and wind power has gone from hippie fantasy to realistic policy goal.

Persons: Donald Trump isn’t, Don Quixote, Trump, It’s

Derek Arthur andGovernor Ron DeSantis of Florida recently signed a bill that bans both the production and the sale of lab-grown meat. In this audio essay, the columnist Paul Krugman argues that DeSantis’s actions represent a window into the modern Republican Party, a party in which “politics is about displaying what kind of person you are and what your allegiance is, as opposed to actually getting policies that work in place.”(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Persons: Derek Arthur, Ron DeSantis, Paul Krugman Organizations: Republican Party Locations: Florida

☆ Amazon's appearance at Upfronts highlights push beyond digital ads and into traditional media
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But it's no longer just about digital ad dollars, and Amazon's inaugural presence at this year's Upfronts events is the clearest indication that the e-commerce giant is prepared to take on traditional media. Amazon's Prime Video and other streamers would historically be featured at Newfronts, which is digital media's take on Upfronts. This year, they're projected to spend roughly $18.8 billion on traditional TV ads during Upfronts, an increase of 1% from a year earlier, according to eMarketer. 1 question all of you asked was, 'When are you going to show ads on Prime Video?'" He showed how the business has evolved to include digital video ads on Prime Video.

Persons: they're, Cowen, Alan Moss, we've, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Kotas, We've, Kotas, we're, — CNBC's Lillian Rizzo, Alex Sherman Organizations: Meta, Google, Amazon, Disney, Comcast, Netflix, Google's YouTube, Prime, Revenue, National Football League, CNBC Locations: Amazon, U.S

☆ Biden's new tariffs show he's willing to play hardball as China ramps up exports, Nobel economist Paul Krugman says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Biden's tariffs on China are a gesture to show the US will not accept another wave of Chinese imports, Paul Krugman wrote in an op-ed. The previous "China shock" was damaging to US employment, given the localized nature of US industry. China is relying on heavy production to manufacture its way out of an economic slump. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "They're a shot across the bow — a signal that the United States won't accept a second so-called China shock, a surge of imports that could undermine crucial parts of the administration's agenda."

Persons: Paul Krugman, Biden's Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Business Locations: China, United

☆ Why Biden Is Putting Tariffs on Chinese Imports - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His signature legislative achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act — which is actually mainly about fighting climate change — contains several nationalistic provisions designed to limit subsidies primarily to manufactured goods produced in North America. And the Biden administration is now imposing tariffs as high as 100 percent on Chinese exports of electric vehicles and taxes on other imported goods, including semiconductors and batteries. The immediate impact of these tariffs will be small, because the United States currently imports very few of the affected goods from China. They’re a shot across the bow — a signal that the United States won’t accept a second so-called China shock, a surge of imports that could undermine crucial parts of the administration’s agenda. China’s exports of manufactured goods to the United States surged beginning in the 1990s.

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden, weren’t Locations: U.S, North America, United States, China, United

☆ 1 in 3 senior execs say a return-to-office mandate is pushing them to quit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. That earlier survey also found that 19% of non-exec workers would likewise quit if forced to pick up their commute again. AdvertisementOgawa said the findings were also notable because high-up executives are often the people tasked with implementing RTO mandates. That's a big drop from a prior survey in 2023, when 62% of CEOs held that expectation. Advertisement"They might not be looking to retain folks who wouldn't want to come back to the office," she said.

Persons: —, they'd, Gartner, Caroline Ogawa, execs, Ogawa, That's, Paul Knopp, Erik Bernard, What's, RTO Gartner's Ogawa, we've Organizations: Service, Gartner, Business, KMPG, KPMG US Locations: IT, Australia

☆ Opinion | Biden’s Approval Is Low, Except Compared With Everyone Else’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In fact, I’m monolingual myself, even though my academic work was largely focused on international trade and finance. In my defense, the great bulk of global economic research is published in English; and in general, Americans’ lack of language skills is less important than their insularity, their relative unfamiliarity with what happens and how things work in other nations. Yet many Americans, even supposedly knowledgeable commentators, often seem unaware of both the ways other nations are similar to us and the ways they are different. I’ll come back to that surprising fact, and what it tells us, in a minute. First, let’s talk about some other international comparisons that seem relevant to the current situation.

Persons: Biden Locations: United States

☆ Trump May Owe $100 Million From Double-Dip Tax Breaks, Audit Shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Russ Buettner | Paul Kiel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump used a dubious accounting maneuver to claim improper tax breaks from his troubled Chicago tower, according to an Internal Revenue Service inquiry uncovered by The New York Times and ProPublica. Losing a yearslong audit battle over the claim could mean a tax bill of more than $100 million. The 92-story, glass-sheathed skyscraper along the Chicago River is the tallest and, at least for now, the last major construction project by Mr. Trump. But when Mr. Trump sought to reap tax benefits from his losses, the I.R.S. That move resulted in Mr. Trump reporting losses as high as $651 million for the year, The Times and ProPublica found.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ProPublica Organizations: Internal Revenue, The New York Times, Mr, Times Locations: Chicago

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